Chains that Bind
by Leave it at that
Summary: Hermione and Draco fell in love during the war. They are now bonded, engaged, and attending their final year of Hogwarts together. Everyone expects this year to be easy compared to the last, but when the Ministry creates a modified Marriage Law, Hogwarts is turned upside down. Will Draco and Hermione be paired together? And if not, can the chains that bind them keep them together?


Hello All! This is the sequel to my first fanfiction, Broken Chains.

If you haven't read that, I would love for you to start there- just use the link on my profile. Warning, it does have some graphic scenes of torture and rape. It basically tells the story of how Draco and Hermione fell in love, set during the second half of DH.

For those of you who don't want to read Broken Chains because of the violent themes, or you are just lazy (which is completely acceptable, though it makes me sad.) Or if you just need a refresher. Here is a short summary….

SPOILERS….

Hermione gets left behind by Harry and Ron after they attempt to rescue her from Malfoy Manor. The remaining death eaters decided to tell Voldemort that it was only Hermione that was kidnapped so that he will not kill them for letting Potter escape. So Voldemort comes to the manor and demands that Draco prove his blood superiority by raping and enslaving the mudblood girl (my Voldemort was a sexual voyeur and sadist.)

After Draco does, he is so wracked with guilt that he vomits in front of Hermione. He then tells her that he will do whatever it takes to keep her alive because she is more worthy than he will ever be. Hermione then remembers the Unimentis charm that can be used to bind two wizards minds together so that they can communicate undetected by legillimency. They preform the charm and their bond flashes a blindingly white light.

Their enslavement in the manor continues as both Draco and Hermione grow closer and together face the horrors that Voldemort creates. They also learn to have greater control of their bond.

Then Draco is summoned by Voldemort during the final battle at Hogwarts. Hermione manages to escape in the forbidden forest by grabbing Greyback's wand. She flees to the castle where she is re-united with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Order. There is not much time for reconnection because the battle has started, and it continues in much the same way that it played out in the cannon.

Then Draco is brought up on charges for being a death eater the day after the battle in a sham of a trial and Hermione saves him but reveals their bond.

They spend the summer at Hogwarts together under the tutelage of Professor McGonagall, who helps them learn to further control their bond and keep it from souring (which would cause unbelievable pain to both parties.) But Hermione begins to worry because even though everything is going extremely well between them, Draco starts complaining that her bond is feeling "fuzzy."

So it is off to St. Mungo's for our lovebirds and Hermione meets with Healer Green who is also bonded (though it is a red bond not a white one). When she tells the healer about what Draco is experiencing, Green informs Hermione that means that she must be pregnant! Draco is ecstatic and he proposes to her.

Now you are all caught up! Enjoy the sequel.

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><p>Walking down Diagon Alley the day before the start of term was surreal. Hermione couldn't believe that she was starting her final year at Hogwarts. Her life was so completely different than she had ever expected when she first learned about "magic school" at the age of eleven.<p>

Her first trip to Diagon Alley had been incredibly nerve wracking, overwhelming, and utterly amazing. Hermione remembered how her eyes had gotten sore because she had been afraid that if she blinked she would miss something. Now, she walked down the familiar row of streets and realized that she felt completely at home. Eleven year old Hermione had been slightly scared of all of the hustle, so she had tried to prepare as best she could for the mysterious Hogwarts by reading (and memorizing) every book on the syllabus.

Now Hermione walked the streets with confidence, knowing why someone would want to buy eye of newt or a glass bottom cauldron.

But the difference between her first year self and her present self was not what had Hermione pausing to reflect in the middle of the street. It was the fact that if you had stopped her younger self and asked her about what her life would be like in seven years, little Hermione would have gotten almost everything wrong. Firstly she never expected that she would be a key player in one of the most important wizarding battles of the last century. Next, she never expected that she would be taken prisoner, raped, tortured, and then bonded to her childhood tormentor and nemesis. She absolutely never could have predicted that she would fall in love with him, or agree to marry him. And finally, Hermione never expected that she would be entering her final year at Hogwarts pregnant. She was a teenage pregnancy.

It had never been more apparent that she was loosing confidence in the muggle world than a few weeks ago when she had boarded the tube to do some shopping in London with Ginny. There were two girls about their age also on the tube and they were chatting animatedly about One Direction, iPhones, and something called Twitter. When Ginny had looked over to Hermione to translate, she had to admit she had no clue what any of those words meant. She was officially more comfortable in the wizarding world than the muggle one.

A noise to her right broke her out of her reverie. Narcissa Malfoy had just exited Gladrags Wizard Wear with her son Draco. He was wearing his new set of school robes.

'God, he's handsome.' She thought.

As if he could read her mind, he gave her a knowing smirk.

_You don't know what I'm thinking._ She teased.

_Oh please, Granger. You obviously want me for my body._ He quipped, reaching out to grab her left hand, fiddling with her ring.

_That's true. _She smiled. Yes, her life was definitely nothing she would have predicted.

* * *

><p>Time always seemed to fly around the start of the school year, though because Hermione was already living at Hogwarts she admittedly didn't have as much work as she normally did before the start of term. However, she also had unlimited access to the library, which did not help her productivity.<p>

All too soon she was meeting Ginny and the other Gryffindor's who had decided to return for a final year as they made their way into the great hall. It seemed that from her year, most of the Gryffindor's had decided to return. Neville was already worrying about something he had lost on the train ride over, and Seamus Finnegan was talking animatedly with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil about their summer holiday. The only absences were Harry and Ron, who would soon start their auror training, as well as Dean Thomas.

After everyone had filled in and the new students had been sorted, Professor McGonagall stood up and addressed the students.

"It is customary for us to start off a new school year by remembering our traditions and those wizards who came before us. Every house has ancestors of whom they should be proud, and each student should strive to become an asset to their house and an asset to Hogwarts. However, there are some who will never have that chance. Therefore, I want to start this year with a moment of silence in honor of those who died fighting in this very castle last spring."

Everyone was silent.

"It is also important to remember that we are now in a time of peace, rebuilding, and forgiveness. That means that any petty disputes or displays of prejudice will be dealt with incredibly harshly. I will not tolerate any slurs or hateful comments no matter whom they are directed at. This year, a special 7/8th year program has been created due to those who had disrupted educations because of the war. This means that all age groups may find themselves in classes with students of higher or lower years depending on individual situations. If you have questions about your specific schedule, please discuss it with your head of house tomorrow morning. Another change this year is that there will be two head boys and two head girls, one from each older class. This years head girls are Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger, and the head boys are Cormac McLaggon and Blaise Zabini. They will share duties and each have the full power of their respective heads.

Other announcements, there is still a ban on all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products. See Mr. Filch for the full list of details.

I will be continuing to teach upper level transfiguration classes, while the lower levels are going to be handled by Professor Alicia Spinnett. She will eventually take over all of my classes, but for this year she will only be teaching first through fourth year students.

We also have a new potions master, Professor Alexis Romani, who will be joining us this term, starting tomorrow.

Now, let us eat."

* * *

><p>Initially, it was odd that Hermione was sitting and eating without Draco. Over the summer they had every meal together, and now she couldn't even see him through the mass of students between the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables.<p>

Almost as if he was mirroring her thoughts, his voice floated through her head.

_I miss eating meals with you._

_I was just thinking the exact same thing. _

_Pansy is being so annoying. _He whined.

_Hey, you didn't seem to mind her when you two dated, so you are not going to get any sympathy from me._

_But, Hermione, she hasn't stopped talking about this "cute little boutique" and other nonsense for the entire meal. It is affecting my appetite. _

She laughed, and then left him to his misery by striking up a conversation with Sir Nicholas.

After finishing her meal, Hermione double-checked with all of her prefects that they knew the passwords to their houses and their responsibilities.

McGonagall stood up to give what Hermione assumed were her closing remarks. "After you all have had a satisfying meal, I hope that I can have your attention for a bit longer. I need all students who are seventeen years old or older to stay behind in the great hall for an additional announcement. The rest of you are dismissed to your dormitories."

Hermione was confused. McGonagall had said nothing about this when she had talked with the heads at the beginning of the meal. What was going on?

She only became more confused as the doors to the entrance hall opened once again and many more people came flocking into the Great hall. Hermione spotted Harry and Ron in the crowed as well as several of Hogwarts more recent graduates. What were they all doing here?

She waved to Harry, who punched Ron and lead them over towards her. She moved aside to let them sit down.

"Harry. Ron. What are you doing here?"

"Dunno." Ron answered.

"We were just told that we had to be here by a really official looking letter from the ministry. Turns out George got one too, and a lot of others judging by the crowd."

"Hmm." Hermione hummed. She was about to respond when McGonagall's voice rang out over the chatter.

"Now I am sure you are all anxious as to why I asked you to stay behind. The ministry of magic wishes for me to read you their prepared statement." She unrolled a scroll of parchment with her wand and cleared her throat.

"As you know, the recent war against the tyranny of He Who Must Not Be Named ended in the deaths of many great witches and wizards over the past few years. After every war such as this, it is the job of the Department of Mysteries to review the records and report to the ministry the total cost of the war. This report, which was published a week ago, was far more tragic than previously anticipated. In fact, the Department of Mysteries concluded that without any government interventions, the wizarding population in England has dipped so perilously low that there is only a 40% chance of the continued survival of magical blood for the next two hundred years. As young witches and wizards, you are the only solution to this problem. Therefore, your ministry has decided that it is time to resurrect an ancient tradition as honorable as the triwizard tournament. Loosely based on the marriage contracts of medieval wizardry, these bonding contracts will bind together two wizards ages 17-20 for the rest of the school term. Students must share a dormitory and private bedroom, eat meals together, and socialize outside of school at least twice a month. Those who have already graduated must live with their partner if that partner is still attending Hogwarts. These pair selections will be done using the "tasse d'amour," an ancient vessel that is sister to the goblet of fire. We hope that this situation will be given the gravity that it deserves, as we must look to our young people to ensure the future of a magical England."

After McGonagall finished reading the Great Hall broke into outraged mutterings. People were turning to their friends to discuss this new development.

"This is barbaric!" Hermione commented. "We are not breeding stock. We have the right to our own choices. They can't just lock us up in rooms together and expect us to procreate."

"Why does it matter to you, Hermione?" Harry asked, laughing nervously. "You are pregnant with Malfoy's child- they have to put you to together. I would think that you would be excited about having your own little love nest." He teased

"It's the principle of the thing," she argued, slapping her fist on the table. "The ministry has no right to determine who I share a bed with. That is my choice only! The nerve of them."

"They must be pretty desperate," Harry sighed.

"ORDER. ORDER." McGonagall called from the head table. "Now, I am just as unhappy about this as most of you are; however, I must stress to you that the punishments for not following the ministries instructions are incredibly severe. They can include expulsion and even time in Azkaban if the rules are broken."

She sighed and pulled her spectacles from her eyes.

"However, it is worth me mentioning that the ministry cannot compel you and your chosen partner to be anything more than roommates. The choice to go beyond that is yours alone, and it is one that you should take very seriously. As adults you all know that you alone are responsible for your actions. I will now inform you that the contraceptive charm that was placed on the castle in the sixties has been broken by ministry decree."

She looked at them all sharply. "So think before you do anything."

If Hermione hadn't been so shocked, she would have laughed at McGonagall's version of a safe sex talk. It seemed that several people were chuckling under their breath at the utter absurdity of the situation.

"When are we paired?" A nervous Hufflepuff shouted.

"Tonight. Now, Mr. Filch if you please."

Filch came in holding a much smaller though seemingly identical version of the goblet of fire.

"Now, before we begin I would like to share a brief history of the tasse d'amour. According to the ministry, it was created to help people find their supposed 'true love' hundreds of years ago. Why was it not being used until today? Because you must understand that no potion or spell can tell a persons true soul mate. The tasse d'amour simply works by figuring out and individuals' best breeding partner from a group of choices. It does not guarantee friendship, love, or happiness. So I urge you not to romanticize or even put very much stock in the pairings. This cup has caused just as much heartbreak as true love… Now I need all of the males to come forward and write their name on a sheet of paper. Then you must prick your finger and place a drop of blood onto the paper with your name written on it."

All of the men migrated to the front of the hall to follow the instructions.

"Now, ladies, when I call your names I would like you to come forward and do the same as the gentleman."

The process was repeated.

"Now all we have to do is wait."

"Professor, I still don't understand." Padma Patil called to the front. "What if we are matched with someone from a different house?"

"Special houses have been erected on the lawn on the south side of Hogwarts. They each contain one bedroom, two bathrooms, and various other rooms that personalize themselves to the occupants. Since you will not be living in your dormitories, pairings between different houses shouldn't be a problem. This is one of the reasons that the head boy and girl dormitories were disbanded for this year."

McGonagall continued with her instructions.

"I will call the ladies names in alphabetical order. When I call your names move to the front of the hall to meet your partner and then go together to Professor Flitwick to receive your housing assignments."

"Abbot, Hannah."

Suddenly the cup began to produce a red smoke as well as some golden sparks. Just like the goblet of fire had done during their fourth year, a piece of paper came fluttering out. McGonagall grabbed it and looked at the names.

"Neville Longbottom."

Neville got up from the table and immediately tripped. Hermione had not seen him this nervous or clumsy in a long time. But she was nervous too. What if Harry and Ron were paired with someone truly awful, like Pansy.

"Bell, Katie."

"Oliver Wood."

Draco's voice floated again into her head.

_Hermione, surely this cup will pair us together, right._

_Draco, you got me pregnant the second time we had sex. You cant be much more compatible than that. We shouldn't have anything to worry about. I am much more concerned about everyone else. _

_Silly Gryffindor_, he teased_. You are always more concerned about others than yourself. You need more Slytherin selfishness, love. _

_Hush_, she laughed_. This is an outrage. The ministry should never meddle in our private affairs. _

_I am just looking forward to having you all to myself in our own little house. It is certainly much better than living in a big dormitory with the other seventh and eighth year men. You smell better._

_And I'm carrying your child._

_That too!_

While Draco was distracting her, several other names had been called. Lavender Brown was now paired with Theo Knott.

"Granger, Hermione."

Another paper blew out of the cup. "Hermione Granger and …"

McGonagall's eyes bugged out as she looked at the other name on the paper. In that second, Hermione felt a huge wave of dread wash over her. And then in a whisper, almost as if she was afraid to say the name aloud, she said, "Harry Potter."

Hermione was shocked. She could feel Draco's emotional cocktail of anger and jealousy and disbelief. She was so incredibly sure that she would be pared with Malfoy. She had a mind bond with him. She was pregnant with his baby for god's sake. This whole exercise seemed rather pointless for them because they were already contributing to the future wizard population. It had never occurred to her that the cup would choose anyone else, so she hadn't even been nervous. She loved Draco. They were finally in a good place. She couldn't move from the table because she was still unable to process what Professor McGonagall had said.

She turned to look at Harry. It was like déjà vu from their fourth year. In her mind, Harry still looked like that scrawny kid who had been dumbstruck when his name had come out of a different goblet.

"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger please go get your housing assignments." McGonagall looked worried.

"C'mon Harry," Hermione finally forced herself to move, focusing on placing one foot in front of the other until she was in front of the charms teacher. Even he looked sympathetic towards her.

"Here are your rooming assignments," Professor Flitwick said softly.

In the background Hermione heard McGonagall call out another name.

"Greengrass, Daphne."

Again she heard the telltale hissing of the cup.

"Daphne Greengrass and Draco Malfoy."

* * *

><p>AN: Thats chapter 1! Gotta love cliches! I do have to warn you that this story will not be updated as quickly as my last one.


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